motorways

You may be worried about motorway driving, with fast moving traffic, multiple lanes to navigate, and intimidatingly large heavy goods vehicles to be aware of – but it might surprise you that, statistically, they are some of the safest roads in the UK.

On this page, we’ll give you our expert advice for keeping safe on motorways, and some key things to keep in mind next time you head out onto the roads.

Safety advice – tips for motorway driving

Our experts recommend you do the following when driving on motorways:

• Keep left unless overtaking – return to the left-hand lane after overtaking
• Follow the two-second rule – give yourself enough time and space to react, and be aware of stopping distances
• Adjust for the conditions – slow down and follow the four-second rule if the road is slippery or visibility is poor
• Control your speed – watch out for variable speed posted on signs or gantries 
• Indicate in good time – before changing lanes
• Check your mirrors often – your situation will change quickly on the motorway
• Take extra care around trucks and other large vehicles – if you can’t see the driver he probably can’t see you
• Anticipate what's coming next – by sweeping the road ahead visually – look 2 seconds ahead, 4 seconds ahead, and 12 seconds ahead, and check your mirrors.
• Only use the hard shoulder for emergencies
• Take regular breaks – about every two hours, to stop yourself becoming tired behind the wheel

You should also be familiar with what the Highway code (rules 253 to 273) has to say about driving on motorways.

How do motorways work? 

Motorways are an effective way to enable a high-volume of traffic to travel long distances. They work well due to certain design characteristics, such as: 

• Having multiple lanes – this allows for drivers to overtake slower moving vehicles. The central reservation also safely separates traffic flowing in the other direction 
• Being easy to drive on – motorways are designed to be straightforward and fast to drive on, with minimal bends 
• Use of on-ramps and off-ramps – entering a motorway is limited to specific points, known as on-ramps, this stops traffic from having to slow down or stop to allow new users to join 
• Use of overpasses or underpasses – whether there’s a natural obstacle like a hillside or other slower roads, motorways can be set above or underneath the ground to allow for minimal disruption 
• Rules – speed limits, lane discipline and signage all exist to keep some form of order for drivers on motorways 
• Safety features – Regular motorways have hard shoulders, while smart motorways have emergency areas. All motorways usually have safety barriers on either side of the outer lanes, and in the central reservation area 

Lanes on a motorway

Motorway driving (usually) works because of the proper use of lanes:

• The left-most lane is the regular driving lane, and is also where you’ll commonly see slower moving vehicles
• The middle lane is meant to be used for overtaking slower vehicles. Once you’ve overtaken, you’re expected to move back to the left-most lane
• The right lane can also be used for overtaking, with the same expectation that you move back gradually into the left-most lane at the earliest possibility. It is not a fast lane for regular driving.

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Hard shoulders and smart motorways

Most motorways still have a continuous hard shoulder but on some, so-called ‘smart’ motorways, the hard shoulder has been turned into a running lane. Where this is the case, laybys known as Emergency Areas (EAs) are provided but they could be up to 2.5km apart.

Whether there’s a hard shoulder or not, it’s best in an emergency to try to drive to a safer place off the motorway if you can.

What to do if you break down

More about smart motorways

Rejoining the motorway

When may you stop on the motorway?

There are only a handful of reasons permitting you to stop on a motorway: 

• You’re in an emergency situation (e.g. your car has broken down). In this situation, you’re allowed to move over to the hard shoulder (or emergency area) and stop. 
  
• If emergency services direct you to do so (if a police officer directs you to stop on the hard shoulder, for example) 
  
• National Highways staff are also permitted to direct you to stop while driving on the motorway 
  
• If traffic comes to a standstill, you can stop your car and switch off the engine while waiting. 

Learn more about when you can stop on the motorway

Driver location signs on motorways

If you need to report an incident, debris or a breakdown, you’ll need to be able to describe accurately where you are. Look out for the blue 'driver location signs' on motorways and A–roads which let you describe, exactly where you are.

Distance and lane discipline

New penalties to tackle tailgating and middle lane hogs came in in 2013 under a new careless driving fixed penalty offence.

This is what the Highway Code has to say:

Rule 126

• Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear
• Leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops
• Allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic
• The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads

Rule 264

• You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear.
• If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past
• Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking

Left-hand lane of the motorway

What to do in an emergency

What to do if you have a collision

Keeping yourself and any passengers safe should be your top priority after a collision on the motorway.  

• First, check yourself and any passengers for injuries. If anyone is injured, then call emergency services immediately 
  
• If it’s a minor collision and you can still drive your vehicle, move it to the hard shoulder or a safe area away from traffic 
  
• For more serious collisions, stay in your car with your seatbelt on. In any collision situation, you should also switch on your hazard lights to make yourself as visible as possible 
  
• If you haven’t contacted emergency services yet, now is the time to do it 
• If it’s safe and appropriate to do so and the area has been made safe by emergency services, then you should consider exchanging information with the other drivers involved and with any witnesses 
  
  

Roadworks on the motorway

Look out for roadworks on the motorway, as this may mean there are different speed limits in place – there are also some dangers you should be aware of as a driver. 

There may be temporary speed limits or variable speed limits for roadworks. 

Temporary speed limits are typically lower than the normal speed limits for motorways, and can often be 50 mph or lower, but this depends on the scale of the work and how much activity is going on at certain times. 

Variable speed limits might be used and again, these change based on the scale of the roadworks and the time of day. 

When you’re driving through roadworks, you should be aware of the following: 

• Lane widths might be reduced due to the work, so you should be careful to stay in the middle of your lane and reduce your speed if necessary 
• Lanes might suddenly shift or merge, so be ready to make these manoeuvres 
• There may be physical hazards like barriers and cones, be careful not to swipe these 
• Be aware of any workers in the area, as they can be vulnerable to traffic 
• Pay attention to any temporary signs 
• Other drivers may not slow down or drive as they should through roadworks, so be prepared to keep a safe distance from other road users 
  
  

Which vehicles aren’t allowed on the motorway?

The following vehicles either can’t be driven on motorways (by law) or are unsuitable for motorway driving: 

• Bicycles – while not technically a vehicle, it’s worth mentioning that bicycles aren’t permissible to use on motorways as they can’t maintain the speed required, and also pose a significant safety risk 
• Low-powered motorcycles – again, these are unable to maintain the required speed if they’re under a certain engine capacity. This includes most delivery mopeds and quadracycles (such as mobility scooters), for example 
  
• Agricultural vehicles like tractors 
• Commercial vehicles like those used with construction work 
  
• Some large, slow-moving vehicles may be allowed onto the motorway, but will have a special escort 
  
• Horse carriages  

Published: 22 December 2016 | Updated: 28 August 2024 | Author: The AA